PSYC 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Sclera, Auditory System, Retina
Document Summary
Detection of physical energy by sense organs (eyes, auditory systems) Process by which our brains interprets all that raw sensory data and turns it into something meaningful. When the way we perceive a stimulus does not match reality. Converting external energies or substances into a language the nervous system understands. Nervous system converts external stimuli into electrical signals within neurons. Sense receptor: specialized cell responsible for converting external stimuli into neural activity for a specific sensory system. Activation of our senses is greatest when we first detect the stimulus; then sensory adaptation occurs. Study of how we perceive sensory stimuli based on their physical characteristics. Lowest level of a stimulus we can detect on 50% of trails, when no other stimulus is present. Smallest change of in the intensity of a stimulus that we can detect. The stronger the stimulus, the greater the change needed to detect a difference. Theory of how we detect stimuli under certain conditions.
